November 2013
The Silent Treatment – Paths to Paradise
“Raymond Griffith seems to me to occupy a handsome fifth place — after Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd, and Langdon — in the silent comedy pantheon, a place that is his by right of his refusal to ape his contemporaries, and his insistence on following the devious curve of an entirely idiosyncratic eye.” — Walter Kerr, The Silent Clowns He was known as the “Silk Hat Comedian” — he was beloved by millions for his suave, debonair brand of comedic grace —…
Find out more »True Heart Suzie
Presented by Retro Format Films on 8mm! Program also includes D.W. Griffith’s short films “An Unseen Enemy” (1912, 17 min.), which introduced Gish and her sister Dorothy, “The Musketeers of Pig Alley” (1912, 17 min.) and “The Mothering Heart” (1913, 29 min.), all starring Lillian Gish. With live piano accompaniment by Cliff Retallick. TRUE HEART SUSIE 1919, 87 min, USA, Dir: D.W. Griffith In "the story of a plain girl," Lillian Gish stars in the title role as a young…
Find out more »SO’S YOUR OLD MAN (1926) and RUNNING WILD (1927)
Note: Live musical accompaniment provided by Cliff Retallick. PART OF: Our Man Gregory La Cava So’s Your Old Man (1926) Directed by Gregory La Cava In one of W.C. Fields’ best silent outings, he plays Samuel Bisbee, a small town would-be inventor with delusions of grandeur. His daughter is in love with the son of one of the town’s better families, but the young man’s parents want no part of the dilapidated failure until an unlikely deus ex machina in the form of…
Find out more »December 2013
90th Anniversary Screening of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS 1923
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS 1923 Co-presented by the American Cinematheque and Hollywood Heritage with the support of the DeMille Foundation to celebrate the Centennial of the partnership of Jesse Lasky and Cecil B. DeMille, the 15th anniversary of the grand re-opening of the Egyptian Theatre and the 90th Anniversary of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS The American Cinematheque re-opened Grauman's Egyptian Theatre on December 4, 1998 following an intensive 18-month restoration, rehabilitation, renovation and adaptive re-use of the legendary theatre where the first…
Find out more »I Love Dogs ! A Dog’s Life and Where North Begins
Co-sponsored by Palos Verdes Art Center and Palos Verdes Library District, this special film screening combines silent movies starring dogs and live piano accompaniment. First up, Charlie Chaplin and Scraps star in the 1918 comedy A DOG'S LIFE followed by 1923 Rin Tin Tin adventure WHERE THE NORTH BEGINS. Both films will feature Cliff Retallick on piano. Doors open promptly at 5:30 with the program starting at 6 PM. Seating is on a first come basis. Read the Interview with…
Find out more »The Silent Treatment: F.W. Murnau’s “The Last Laugh”
After shocking audiences worldwide with Nosferatu, but before emigrating to Hollywood for Sunrise, F.W. Murnau revolutionized filmmaking with this most silent of silent films — one rare for its lack of intertitles, and timeless for its artful social commentary. Using daring camera angles, expressionist framing and groundbreaking P.O.V. effects to convey a subjective psychological state, The Last Laugh tells the heartrending story of Emil Jannings (The Blue Angel, The Last Command) as an elderly hotel doorman demoted to washroom attendant, who must…
Find out more »Wagon Track Staring William S Hart
Retro Format 2013 Retro Format's 4Th Anniversary! Silent Film With Live Musical Accompaniment! We celebrate Retro Format’s 4th anniversary in the Spielberg Theatre with our annual William S. Hart feature! Plus, an outstanding program of short films by D.W. Griffith. With live piano accompaniment by Cliff Retallick. WAGON TRACKS 1919, Paramount, 64 min, USA, Dir: Lambert Hillyer Produced by Thomas H. Ince (and beautifully shot by cinematographer Joe August), this Western has legendary silent screen star William S. Hart leading…
Find out more »His Nibs (1921) & Feel My Pulse (1928)
Live musical accompaniment will be provided by Cliff Retallick. PART OF: Our Man Gregory La Cava Preserved by UCLA Film & Television Archive His Nibs (1921) Directed by Gregory La Cava One of director Gregory La Cava's first directorial jobs after moving from animation, His Nibs features vaudeville star "Chic" Sale in multiple roles in a film within a film about a movie screening in a small town. Exceptional Pictures. Screenwriter: Arthur Hoerl. Cinematographer: A.J. Stout. Editor: Arthur Hoerl. Cast: Charles “Chic” Sale, Colleen Moore,…
Find out more »January 2014
THE SILENT TREATMENT: The Patent Leather Kid (1927)
“If you aren’t a fight fan, you will be when you have seen it.” — Screenland Epic in scope, this deeply human character study showcasing the formidable acting talents of megastar Richard Barthelmess (Broken Blossoms, Way Down East, Tol’able David) stands alongside The Big Parade one of the silent era’s most empathetic WWI epics. Beginning on New York’s Lower East Side, The Patent Leather Kid tells the tale of a tough, streetwise prize fighter with slick, black hair (hence the nickname!) who initially balks at…
Find out more »Alfred Hitchcock’s The Pleasure Garden
Playing a double feature with Stage Fright The BFI drew from several extant prints for this meticulous restoration of THE PLEASURE GARDEN, which features the film’s original color tints and tones. THE PLEASURE GARDEN is presented with live musical accompaniment by Cliff Retallick. Restored! Live Musical Accompaniment! THE PLEASURE GARDEN 1926, British Film Institute, 90 min, UK, Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Fans of Alfred Hitchcock will likely notice familiar visual cues and themes in his directorial debut, which was released only…
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